Video: Setting the carrier pitch

Let's take a look at this Carrier oscillator and how it works. So the Carrier oscillator is a bit different than some of the oscillators we have seen in the other synths, just because it only generates sine waves. So if I play a note on here, we can see that the waveform is the sine waveform. If we look on this Analyzer, there's really only one component of the sound, just the fundamental frequency. So I'm playing an A note to 220 hertz, that's really it. If you look at other types of waveforms, like a sawtooth waveform, you see a whole lot of other harmonic components to the sound.

Join author Brian Trifon as he shows how to improve music and audio productions using virtual instruments in Logic Pro. This course tours the program's virtual instruments, including the ES2 hybrid synthesizer, Sculpture physical modeling synthesizer, EFM1 FM synthesizer, the EVOC 20 vocoder, the Ultrabeat drum synthesizer, and the EXS24 sampler, and shows how to achieve various effects with each instrument's parameters. The course also covers working with oscillators and filters, understanding signal flow, creating custom synthesizer patches, adding effects, synthesizing speech, creating a library of custom sound samples, and much more.

Virtual Instruments with Logic Pro will be updating on a monthly basis, eventually covering all the virtual instruments in the application. Look for the latest movies here and on the lynda.com blog.

Setting the carrier pitch

Let's take a look at this Carrier oscillator and how it works.So the Carrier oscillator is a bit different than some of the oscillators wehave seen in the other synths, just because it only generates sine waves.So if I play a note on here, we can see that the waveform is the sinewaveform. If we look on this Analyzer, there's really only one component of thesound, just the fundamental frequency.So I'm playing an A note to 220 hertz, that's really it.If you look at other types of waveforms, like a sawtooth waveform, you see a wholelot of other harmonic components to the sound.

The sine waveform is pretty characterless, but the good thing is that theModulation oscillator that they call the Modulator, that's what's going to becreating the texture.So it's the modulation between this Modulator and Carrier that's going to createthe shape of the sound.So it's okay that this Carrier oscillator only generates sine waves.One thing that's interesting about it is the tuning aspect of thisCarrier oscillator.It doesn't transpose in semitones. So for example, when I adjust this knob here--(music playing)--those are much bigger than semitones, right?So it's tuning based on the harmonic series.

So it's integer relationships between the note we're playing.So integer means whole numbers.So here is just the basic note. I'm playing an A. I'm going to set this tothe second harmonic.It's an A in octave higher.When I set it to the third harmonic it's an octave and a fifth.So the fourth harmonic it's two octaves, and so on.(music playing)We tune it with the harmonic series instead of semitones, and I'll get into thatmore when we look at the Modulator--the reasoning behind that.

We've also got a Fine-Tuning control here where we can offset the tuning incents, so by very small amounts.If I want to reset this back to its neutral position,I can just click on this O right here, or I can Option+Click.The last control on the Carrier oscillator is this Fixed control.This is going to separate the note that I am playing on the keyboard from theactual pitch that we are hearing.If I engage Fixed what's going to happen is I play notes on the keyboard, and theyare all generating the same frequency.

This is a really low frequency right here.So I'm going to change the harmonic.(music playing) I can even go higher than that.(music playing)So I'm playing a chromatic scale on the keyboard now, but notice it doesn't soundvery chromatic, does it?That's because it doesn't matter what I play on the keyboard, it's just going toplay that fixed frequency, so that's what this Fixed mode does.You just set the harmonic and it just plays that constant note.And we will understand the utility and the reasoning behind that more when welook at this Modulator.

So with that, let's take a look at this modulation oscillator, the Modulator.

Learn by watching, listening, and doing, Exercise files are the same files the author uses in the course, so you can download them and follow along Premium memberships include access to all exercise files in the library.

Already a member ?

Learn by watching, listening, and doing! Exercise files are the same files the author uses in the course, so you can download them and follow along. Exercise files are available with all Premium memberships.
Learn more

Upgrade to our Annual Premium Membership today and get even more value from your lynda.com subscription:

“In a way, I feel like you are rooting for me. Like you are really invested in my experience, and want me to get as much out of these courses as possible this is the best place to start on your journey to learning new material.”— Nadine H.

Thanks for signing up.

We’ll send you a confirmation email shortly.

Sign up and receive emails about lynda.com and our online training library:

new course releases

newsletter

general communications

special notices

Here’s our privacy policy with more details about how we handle your information.

Keep up with news, tips, and latest courses with emails from lynda.com.

Sign up and receive emails about lynda.com and our online training library:

new course releases

newsletter

general communications

special notices

Here’s our privacy policy with more details about how we handle your information.